The Recipe For A Great Vacation

Posted: 10:22 am Sunday, March 5th, 2017

By Ann Kelly

This is a tough one; how to limit a nice vacation down to just five favorite things. Oh, and realizing you had such a good time you kept forgetting to take pictures! But it’s all good in Ann Kelly’s Kitchen. When you start with holding a four week old baby in your arms who wants that food NOW , I suddenly get why we all carry that attitude into adulthood when waiting in a restaurant. But welcome to the world Brianna Laurel Lehman, you’re going to love it here. We sure all love you.

Combining work and pleasure kicked things off at the SeaWorld Seven Seas Food Festival on a spectacular Saturday. It’s hard not to love your work when it involves talking about items like the Bananas Foster Cheesecake Cone from the North Atlantic Market. That’s only a start so check it out now through May 13th.

Then there’s sharing the funky fun of Ginnie and Jane E’s on Ann Maria Island. There’s something about their chicken salad sandwich I can’t resist, and they do a great Cuban. Its fun to sit somewhere you can eat and shop. Ginnie and Jane E’s was an IGA grocery store long ago, and you can read about the history right there. But keep in mind the traffic is really special this time of year!

And for once I had the time to hit the Gulfport Tuesday Morning Market. Loved the fresh produce stand but I do need to remember if I’m going to buy something like half a flat of strawberries, a watermelon and a couple extra bags of assorted fruits and veggies with bring the little red wagon or park closer. Wow, that was a long couple of blocks!

I even surprised myself at Joker Marchant Stadium last Wednesday when I really didn’t want the peanuts, popcorn or hot dogs. I so enjoyed just sitting in this beautifully renovated stadium that’s the Spring Training home of the Detroit Tigers. Lucked out too that my friend Read even knew which side of the stadium was the shady side! We won’t talk about that final score, though. It’s early!

Then that visit to Honeymoon Island with my friends Read and Lorie, and Lorie’s daughter Alicia who was brave enough to not only bring along Brianna, we had her two year old son Evan along. All I can say is moms have to be the most organized, patient people on the planet. It’s the kind of planning that would make the military proud.

Then finally introducing Read to Goody Goody and their to die-for hand spun vanilla shakes and the Butterscotch Pie so good we had to take one home to share with everyone. He’s now a true fan of the burgers, onion rings and the wonderful interior design.

It’s always hard to say goodbye to friends but so good to know they’ll be back for more!